Combination electric switch



E. M. GROSS ET AL COMBINATION ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed July 14, 1920 2 7&1.

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Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

EDWARD 1. GROSS AND FRED E. HAYES, F LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

COMBINATION ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Application filed July 14, 1920. Serial No. 396,102.

To all whom it may cmwcm:

Be it known that we EDWARD M. Gross and FRED E. MAYES, citizens of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combination Electric Switch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combination electric switch which is more particularly designed for use in connection with automobiles or other vehicles or machines which depend for their operation upon the closing of the electric circuits and the purpose of this invention is to provide a switch of this character which is simple and inexpensive inconstruction, easily operated and capable of being readily shifted into such a position that the desired electric circuits are closed and also shifted into such a position that these circuits are open and cannot ordinarily be closed by any person other than one familiar with the particular combination of the switch.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a plurality of switches corresponding to the number of cylinders of the internal combustion engine, these switches being disposed between the spark plugs thereof and the timer so that it will be necessary to set each switch in its proper position before the en ine may be started.

ith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangements of parts herein illustrated and more specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of our invention,

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and showing the circuits diagrammatical,

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow, 0.

Referring to the corresponding parts of the several views by the same numerals of reference, 1 denotes the support upon which is mounted the switch plate 2. A casing 3 is situated over the switch plate 2 and has a pluralit of longitudinally spaced openings In its out wall. A plurality of ratchet plates 4 having the toothed collars 5 longitudinally disposed along the center of the switch plates are arranged so as to register with the openings in the casing 3. Insulating flanged washers 6. are situated within the openings in the casing 3 for rotatably receiving the shafts 7 which extend into the collars 5 of the ratchet plates 4. A pair of circuit closing arms radially and laterally extend from each of the shafts 7 a spaced distance from the inner ends thereof. An expansion coil spring is disposed around each shaft and bears against the flanged washers 6 and the circuit closing arms. Between the circuit closing arms and the collar 5 there is fixedly attached to the shaft a toothed ferrule 9 and thus it will be seen that the spring 8 will normally hold the toothed ferrule 9 and toothed collar 5 in engagement with each other as shown to ad vantage in Figure 4. The switch plate 2 is provided with a plurality of openings arranged in two rows at the top and bottom and so as to be between and above and below the ratchet plates 4 as is clearly shown in Figure 3. Insulating sleeves 10 are situated in these openings to receive the tubesll having the threaded stems 12. Contact plates are disposed on the stems between the lock nuts 13. In Figure 2 of the drawing it will be seen that the shaft 7 is provided with the rubber knob 7 upon the outer face of which is provided a dial 40 having numbers arranged in a clock-wise direction from zero to five. As shown in Fi re 1 of the drawing the switches are a 1 arranged so that the en ine may be started and continue to run. en in this position by referring to Figure 3 of the drawing it will be seen that the contact arms 24 close the circuit between the contact plates 14 and 19 upon the first shaft 7, the contact arms 24 u on the second shaft 7 closes the circuit lietween the contact plates 15 and 21, the circuit closing arms 24 upon the third shaft 7 close the clrcuit between the contact plates 16 and 17, and the circuit closing arms 24 on the fourth shaft close the circuit between the contact plates 18 and 22 and it will be noted that the contact plates and 23 are of no use exce t to act as a decoy to anyone tampering wit the device.

By referring to Figure 3 of the drawing it will be seen that the ma eto 25 has one terminal grounded at 37 w ile the wire 41 carries the current to the timer 26. The current then passes from the timer 26 through the wire 27 to the contact plate 14;

' through the arms 24- tothe contact plate 19. a From here the current passes through the wire 28 to the s ark lug upon the first cylinder, thence t rougl the'wire 38 to the ound 37. When t is circuit is broken by t e timer the next circuit is formed and the current passes from the timer 26 to the wire 29 to the plate 15, the plate 2 1. From the wire 30 to the spark plug u n the third cglinder and thence throng t e I t e ground'ill. When this circuit is broken the next'circuitis formed and the current passes from the 'timer 26 through the wire 31 to the contactplate 17-, through the arms "24, to the plate 16. From here the current 36 upon' the-fourth through the wire 38, .to the ground 37. When this circuit "is broken and the next circuit formed it consists of the current passingifrom the timer 26 through the wire v7' thus breakingthe circuits through the 5 necessary contact plates and of course no unauthorized person not knowi the combination will be able to proper y set the I switches in order to start.

From the foregoing descrlption, taken in through the arms 24, to here it passes through wire 38 to passes through the wire 32 to the'spark plug cylinder and thence,

to stop the engine all Y that will be necessary is to turn the knob connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood without a more vention, we do not wish tojbe limited to the construction herein shown and described other than as; claimed.

Having thus described our invention'what we claim as new 'is:-'. I

As a new article of manufacture, a combination electric switch for ignition circuits,

comprising-a. casing including a front and a rear wall, a bearing collar secured to the rear wall formed of non-electric conducting material having an annular row of teeth formed thereon, a rotatable shaft carried by the front wall and havin its inner-ends rotata blymounted in sairf ferrule-secured to the shaft forengaging the-teeth of the collar, a pair of tacts secured to the rear wall an arranged in radial spaced relation to the shaft and collar, radially extending arms'secured to Y the shaft for wiping contact with said spaced contacts and a springcoiled about said shaft engaging the radially extending arms and the inner surface of the frontwalla 1 a In testimony'whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.v

EDWARD M. GROSS v I FRED E. MAYES. 'Witne'ssem HARRY P. Elms, Barnum M. Pomron.

collar, a toothed 5 aced con- 7 

